WHEN IS INTERNATIONAL MOTHER'S DAY?

International Mother's Day is celebrated and observed on the second Sunday in the month of May. Mother's Day will be celebrated on May 8 in 2022.  The day is celebrated and observed to commemorate the efforts of mothers and honour their value in our lives and in our society. Mother's Day is celebrated in different countries across the world on different days. While many countries observe this day in the month of May, there are others that celebrate the day in the month of March.

 

The day first came into existence in the early 1900s after the concerted efforts of a woman named Anna Jarvis established the day to honour the efforts and sacrifices that mothers make for their children. The day came into being after Anna Jarvis lost her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis in 1905. Within five years of its observance, the day was being celebrated and observed by every state in the United States virtually and by 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared it a national holiday. The day aims to celebrate not only mothers but aunts and grandmothers who played mothering roles in the life of an individual.

 

Even though the day aims to celebrate mothers and their sacrifices and constant efforts, International Mother's Day was subjected to criticism because the day was commercialised within a couple of years. Giving gifts and sending cards became the norm on Mother's Day and are a ritual that is still practised to date in most countries.

 

However, the United States was not the first country to celebrate Mother's Day. The tradition of celebrating and honouring mothers dates back to ancient times.